How To Obtain Residency and Citizenship in Uruguay

Figures released by the Uruguayan Immigration Office show that in 2012 over 5000 applications were filed for residence, but at the same time only 2400 applications were granted. This goes a long way to explaining why the time taken to obtain residence in Uruguay has shot up from 6 months only 2-3 years ago to around 24 months now.

Since 2008 the number of applications filed has increased from just over 2000 to over 5000 i.e. 150 %. At the same time the number of employees assigned to residency applications has increased by 0% and simultaneously those employees are examining applications in a lot more detail and objecting to even the most minor defects in documents filed. This notwithstanding several statements from the President himself to the effect that he wants to encourage people to come to Uruguay and speed up and simplify the residence process. This message has clearly not got through to the immigration office to date.

Changes in requirements in 2012:

Uruguay acceded to the Hague Convention on the use of an Apostille at the end of 2012 and accordingly legalization is no longer necessary for documents coming from other countries which are also members of the Convention. This can represent a significant saving in time and money for many applicants.

Police reports are now required for the applicants country of birth and any other country they have lived in during the previous 5 years. Without this document/s an application will not even be received. If in doubt as to whether a police report will be needed, get one to avoid any further delays.

For ladies over 30 you can still use Pap and Mammogram tests carried out abroad, as long as they are not more than 1 year old and a translation into Spanish is now often needed.

Changes in the filing process

Due to the large increase in applications being filed though the central office, rules have now been brought in that applications must be filed in the department where applicants declare they are residing. In the case of people living in Punta del Este, for example, this means they have to file through the Maldonado office.

The Immigration Office was giving applicants appointments for 3 to 4 months in the future to formally file for residence. This delay was causing inconvenience to those who needed a cédula (the Uruguayan ID card) for work purposes or to register their children in a school, obtain health insurance etc. So now the Immigration Office has a two stage filing process, as follows:

You go in without any prior appointment and say you want to file for residence. As long as you have your police records (max 6 months old) and copies of passport and photos, you will be given an Application No and with this you can apply for an ID card. At this stage you change from being a tourist to being a “residente en tramite” – literally “resident applied for.”

Married couples with children must have first registered their birth and marriage certificate which currently takes around one month.

You will be given an appointment to come back at a later date (currently 6 months) to file the remaining documents – proof of income, health cards, proof of domicile.

Nationals from countries requiring a visa to enter Uruguay

Almost 1 year ago the Immigration Office stopped allowing professionals such as lawyers from acting as sponsors for those applying for a visa to enter Uruguay. As a result it has become a lot more complicated for many people to get a visa. You either have to find a non professional Uruguayan to act as a sponsor or obtain it direct from a Uruguayan consulate, which can depend on a wide variety of criteria to be applied by the individual consulate.

Our experience is that this requirement is making life particularly hard for applicants from the Indian sub-continent and Middle East countries.

Conclusion:

Whilst applicants can expect a longer delay, if they have the basic documentation and the intent to reside there is no reason to suppose that they will not eventually get permanent resident status. In the meantime the change in practice means that it is now possible to at least file an application very shortly after arrival in the country and get an ID card.

And finally, we recap the things you will need to do in order to apply for residency and for later citizenship in Uruguay.

Residence And Citizenship Proceedings:

In order to obtain permanent residence we need to present the following documents at the Immigration Office (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones):

1) Passport: We have to present the Original Document and a photocopy of the whole passport. The Immigration Office does not keep the passport during the proceedings, they just need to compare it with the photocopy.

2) Birth Certificate: It must be legalized by the Uruguayan Consulate in the country of birth, then it must be translated in our country by a Public Translator, and once again legalized at the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. The cost of the legalization in our country is U$S 8 approx. The cost of the translation will depend on the length of the document.

3) Marriage Certificate: It must be legalized at the Uruguayan Consulate in the country where the marriage took place, then it must be translated in our country by a Public Translator, and once again legalized at the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. The cost of the legalization in our country is U$S 8 approx. The cost of the translation will depend on the length of the document.

4) Two photos (Id type of photo)

5) Health ID: This can be obtained from the Ministerio de Salud Pública (Durazno 1242 Phone 900 29 51) free of charge or from most private hospitals and medical emergency services in Uruguay. The cost of obtaining a private certificate is around U$S70, but is much preferable to using the public system.

6) Criminal Records: It is necessary to obtain a certificate from the Police in the country of birth and country of prior residence in the previous 5 years, establishing that the person has no prior criminal record. This also has to be legalized by the Uruguayan Consulate and once the certificate is in our country, it has to be translated by a Public Translator and legalized at the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. The cost of the legalization in our country is U$S 8.- The cost of the translation will depend on the length of the document.

7) Income: It is necessary to show a minimum monthly income of U$S 650.- and the source of that income (retirement pensions, rent). A Public Notary has to certificate the documentation that we will present. The fees of the notary will depend on what type of certificate he has to prepare.

8) Date of entrance to our country – Tourist certificate given at the time of entrance.

You should be also aware that the Immigration Office is now applying a criteria of “intent to reside permanently” to all applicants. To that effect they are examining immigration records and if they note that a person has come in to Uruguay, filed for residence and then immediately left and not come back, or has filed for residence but most of the time is out of the country, and not really living in Uruguay, then the application will be rejected. The Immigration Office may well only grant residency for people who are really living here for the majority of the time.

The cost of the residence proceeding payable at the Immigration Office will be approx. U$S 50.

Our fees for standard residence proceedings are U$S 1500.- plus 22% VAT for each person. In addition there will be the legalisation, translation and notarial fees referred to above, which are likely to be around U$S800, but are dependant on the length of the documents involved.

Please note that we can not provide a guarantee that residence will be granted, the Immigration Office always has discretion in this respect, so our fees will be payable whatever the outcome of the applications.

Residents are eligible for citizenship after three years if they have a family member who is a citizen of Uruguay, or five years if they do not.

Information for a U.S. citizen whose parent is Uruguayan

There is a special procedure, but the person will have to come to Uruguay to do the paperwork, which is as follows:

1.Get a Uruguayan Id card. To get this, he or she needs to register his/her birth certificate (apostilled and translated) and that of her Uruguayan parent/s. She must do this personally.

2. Apply to the Electoral Court to get a resolution recognizing her as a citizen. This takes about one month and again must be done personally. He/she needs to have: a Uruguayan ID card and birth certificates as per 1 above. And also needs to prove residence in Uruguay for at least 3 months preceding the application (proof of work, studies or other activity in the country).

3. Once the resolution is issued they can apply for voting card and for a passport.

Bottom line, the procedure is much easier than for a normal “foreigner”, but the person must still come here for some time.

Our thanks for this update go to Mark Teuten who is, himself, a long-time expat, having first come to Uruguay in 1990, intending to stay for one year. He is still here 23 years later. He practiced law in England from 1987, then requalified in Uruguay in 2004 and set up his own firm the same year. Mark writes, “I married in 1991 and am still happily married to the same lady! We have 3 children, ages 18, 14 and 11.”

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263 Comments Already

As you are so kind to answer to all the commentaries here, I would also like to try my luck. I wonder about the tetanus shot (or proof thereof), that seems to be necessary to obtain residence. As a strict vegetarian who does not wish to kill animals (and if you have a look at how the serum is made, especially the culture medium, it is horrible) for spiritual reasons. Do you have any experience with people who, having work and being employed, come to the country and start the application process for residence while already working and then, on spiritual or religious grounds, refuse to subject to the tetanus inoculation?

“Fortunate” may be those who still have a “valid” inoculation from not too far in the past, but if that is not the case, what then?

I completely understand your concern about Uruguay. I also do not take vaccinations and did not allow my children to do so. And for your information, and to support your position. My daughter at just under age 40, before a trip to Africa, was talked into taking a raft of vaccinations. All our children have always been in perfect health becauee we also followed good health practices, avoiding packaged food, even growing our own garden. After that series of shots she has never been well. All kinds of vague illness from chronic fatigue syndrome to (would you believe this?) Lyme Disease from a cat. She never had a cat but that’s what she had according to their tests. People don’t realize that these vaccines are developed in animals. Developing the polio vaccine in monkey kidneys caused everyone tho took the vaccine up to approximately 1968 to be infected with the SV-40 cancer virus. So we here fully support your position. I suggest that you contact Mark Teuton, the attorney recommended in our articles about Uruguay, or Juan Federico Fisher, attorney, web site is http://www.fs.com.uy. I would appreciate if you would cc us and ask the attorney to copy us also with the answer. I’d like to know too. If the answer is no, I will get back to you with some ideas. Or else contact me again. I may have some suggestions.

Hello Dr. Kokab, we would like very much to help you. If you are a citizen of Pakistan, in order to emigrate to Uruguay you would need to have a relative already in Uruguay or a friend who would sponsor you. Or be the child of a Uruguay citizen.

my name aqeel from Pakistan, but i am working in travel agency in Saudi Arabia , my monthly income 2000 US$ , i have 4 child’s, what can i do , i need visa or without visa i ma coming and , i want to business in Uruguay, or open in Travel agency , please advice ?

Hi Varun, in order to immigrate to Uruguay, you would need a sponsor. A sponsor would be a relative living in Uruguay or a friend who could act as a sponsor. If you have that, we will refer you to our Uruguay attorney.

Hi I am an Indian works in Saudi Arabia. I have a savings of 50000 US Dolar with me. I want to live in Uruguay my rest of time. I like to do small business in Uruguay. I spoke to a spanish teaching school in Uruguay and I am gonna apply for 90 days visa as a student of spanish language. Can apply for PR after I reach in Uruguay? I mean after 90 days? What should I do?

Hi Ahmed, You must have a relative in Uruguay or know someone who is willing and able to act as your sponsor. If you have a sponsor, let us know and we are happy to help you. Also you may be interested to read Dr. Mark Teuten’s article about requirements for residency or citizenship in Uruguay which is on this web site.

Hello, i am living in Morocco and i want to get a permission of residence in urogway. I don’t have a sponsor in urogway but i have my qualifications which will allow me working there. i would like to ask you what documents which i need to apply? is the sponsor must be from my family? If i get job there do i still need sponsor to renew my permission?

hi, I am Algerian citizen and I would like to ask about the sponsor from Uruguay listed in the paragraph above note that we are not in middle east nor in India sub continent, but we do need a visa to enter the Uruguayan territory

Hi Kamal, We would like to help you but our Uruguay attorney tells us that any citizen for whose country a visa is required to enter Uruguay must have a sponsor in order to become a resident of Uruguay.

Hello,
I am a citizen of Armenia and I’d like to immigrate to Uruguay with my whole family: mother, brother and his family. I am an English teacher. Do I need to learn Spanish to be able to find a job in Uruguay or is English enough? Can we apply while we are in Armenia or should we arrive in Uruguay first?

Hi Lilit, First, I suggest that you read the articles on Four Flags Journal that explain what you need to emigrate to Uruguay. And yes you must be present. In fact, Uruguay is quite sensitive about you being in the country and living in the country. And yes there are jobs teaching English that do not require your knowing Spanish. However, we strongly suggest that you do start learning Spanish. It’s just a lot easier not to have to take a translator with you to the bank and other places. However, there are plenty of English speakers in Uruguay and you can get along without Spanish if you decide to. We recommend the Spanish course that we here at Four Flags Journal use that is both good and as easy as it gets, if you are interested. They give you a long list of words that are almost the same as English, just pronounced a little differently, thus giving you quite a Spanish vocabulary right off, and then 30 minutes a day, if you’re faithful you’ll soon be speaking Spanish. And we wish you the best. We are in Argentina but Uruguay is a great little country. Best of luck.

Dear Sir
i am iraqi nationality living in iraq working in university lecturer 41 years old marred and i have four boys
i want to reply for resident for me and my family i Uruguay kindly send me via e mail what i have to do to get the visa for Uruguay to start doing the process i have in come salary 1270 $ and i am ready for that pleas reply me and let me know how much it well cost me if i have to do it alone or withe my family
thanks for your Advice in advance

Hi Saleh, you certainly have wonderful qualifications. However, you will need not just a visa but a sponsor in the country who will take responsibility for you and your family. If you can provide that, then please get back to us and we will help you all we can. Best of luck!

I am southafrican, I dont need visa for Uraguay, Please advise me do i need sponsor still and can you please mention uraguay national immigration website please.
and if i come as a tourist can i be eligible for Parmnanat residence?
Please Advice

Hi Arshad, as we understand it, you can immigrate to Uruguay without a sponsor if you can travel to Uruguay on your passport and without a visa. Unless you feel you can handle things at the immigraciones office, you will need to contact an attorney and we suggest Mark Teuten. We do suggest you go to the web site and read about Uruguay.It’s impossible to write here all the information there. On the right is a pull down menu and you can select Uruguay and there is a lot of information there, including Mr. Teuten’s contact information And best wishes, Arlean

Hi Jean, You can find the requirements on the web site of our Uruguay attorney. You will find the link to their web site below. Also, as far as I can tell here, the Philippines is a country that requires a tourist visa to enter Uruguay. You might want to check at the local Uruguay consulate near you. If you need a visa, you will also need a sponsor. If you can qualify, we are more than happy to help you. Let us know if you need more information. And good luck! Arlean
Web: http://www.teutenabogados.com

Dear Sir
i am Syrian nationality living in Saudi Arabia working in Hilton Hotel Company 36 years old marred and i have tow boys
i want to reply for resident for me and my family i Uruguay kindly send me via e mail what i have to do to get the visa for Uruguay to start doing the process i have in come salary 1570 $ and i am ready for that pleas reply me and let me know how much it well cost me if i have to do it alone or withe my family
thanks for your Advice in advance

Hi Aasif, there is an article on the web site giving the requirements for residency in Uruguay. In addition, you would need a sponsor who is already in Uruguay who would be willing to take responsibility for you. If you qualify on those things, we can put you in touch with someone in Uruguay who can help you with residency if you need help.

I am married with 4 child,I am from Middle East , I am a Jordanian nationality
First I am working as a regional sales manager for oil& gas in Dubai
I have monthly income of 11,000$ plus I have 2 apartments in Jordan
Cost around 150,000$ plus I rent these two flats the rent around 800$ monthly
I have in my account 50,000 $.
Of course I need a visa that main I need a sponsor.
I can buy apartment in Uruguay from the first year.
I know only English,
I need your help to get the best way to get permanent residence & passport
I do not have any criminal case or any of my family
i appreciate your reply in my email as soon as possible
Regards,
Th

Ahmed, you are so qualified and in such a good status, yet we have some challenges with citizens from the Middle East. Our Uruguay attorney tells us that if you require a visa you must have a sponsor. which pretty much means you must know someone in the country. We do have Chile and Argentina. If you would consider a different country, and you will write an email to me at Info@fourflagsjournal.com with all this information, I will submit it to our attorneys and see if someone has an idea for you. I don’t think you can access Uruguay without a sponsor but I will still submit it. There could be a chance in Argentina if that interests you. We live here in Argentina and we like it. But we have also lived in Uruguay and like that too. I can try to find a solution for you and we certainly will, if possible.

Hi Akash, I am sorry we don’t know the answer to that question. Perhaps you can ask at the embassy or email the Uruguay attorney. If you do email the attorney and cc to me, then he is legally free to send me the answer too. I’d like to know as well. Best of luck.

Hello Harjeet. You will need a sponsor that is already inside the country who is willing to sponsor you. I you have a sponsor and get a visa into Uruguay, then we can recommend an attorney for you in Uruguay who can help you.

Hi Vicky, the first thing you need to do is to see if you can get a visa into Uruguay. It may require a sponsor, which is someone already in the country to sponsor you. But I think you’d need to check with the Uruguay consul in your country to find out. If you can get a visa, then we can help you. wishing you all the best, Arlean

Hi,
It is a very helpful website. Thanks for providing great informations about visas.

I am from India. I want to study In Uruguay. I can speak English and very little Spanish. I want to study something related to agriculture there.
What is visa process for that?
Which city will suit me if I want to work part time?
I want to work or live there after studies so what opportunities I will have?
Is it possible to obtain residency in one year on student visa?
How much university fee will be per semester approx?

Sorry for long list of quieres.
I shall be thankful to you for your advice.

Hi Vikram. We are not sure what the fees are in the university, etc., but you can get residency as a student. However, all pretty much depends on whether you can get a visa to Uruguay. You may have to check with the local consulate nearest you. If you can get a visa, then probably the attorneys in Uruguay can help you. Arlean

I am having trouble finding the information I need in regards to student visas and spouses in Uruguay. So, I am a US citizen interested in applying to a film school in Uruguay for my bachelors degree. I am not yet fluent in Spanish, but I am hoping I will be by the time I apply to school a year from now (I am spending a year attending language school in Mexico first). Student visas seem pretty straightforward, but can my wife (US citizen) also get a residence visa or some sort of non-tourist visa that lasts longer than 90 days so she can accompany me while I attend school in Uruguay? Any information on student families/spouses in regards to visas would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Matt, it is easy for your wife to stay in Uruguay with you. She can come in on a tourist visa and cross the border every 90 days, turn around and come back in again. Many expats do that routinely. However, if you qualify otherwise, she can apply for residency if you want to go that route. In fact, if you both decide to get residency in Uruguay the time frame to citizenship is three years as opposed to five years for a person immigrating alone.

Matt, I think we may have missed your comment earlier. Probably you should contact Mark Teuten, attorney in Uruguay. He can answer your questions. He is Mark Teuten, mteuten@teutenabogados.com. If you need more help, let us know. Arlean

I am not sure if citizens of Malaysia need to apply for a visa to enter Uruguay. If you do, then you will also need a relative or someone in Uruguay to act as your sponsor. You can check with the Uruguay embassy nearest your location if you need more information. We don’t handle immigration except to try to help people with information, but we can recommend a good attorney if you decide on Uruguay and you need one. Arlean

Hi, I am not sure if you have to have a passport to enter Uruguay, but I think you do. If you are required to have a visa to enter Uruguay, then in order to stay and get residency you need someone in Uruguay to sponsor you.

Hi Yusuf, You will need to first obtain a visa to the country of your choice. You didn’t say which country you would like to apply to. My next question would be how proficient are you with Spanish? In order to go to the university you would need Spanish. But if you can get a visa it is possible we can help you. You would need to contact the embassy of the country to obtain a visa. We don’t deal with visas here. Best of luck.

Hello
My father is Uruguayan citizen, however I am not, but would like to be. I would like to apply however I cannot contact him in order to get a copy of his birth certificate. How would I go about being a natural citizen myself, if i cannot receive a copy of his birth certificate through him? Would the embassy be able to obtain a copy of it? Also after becoming a citizen will my children who are 14 and 17 be able to become citizens as well, and the same for my spouse? Finally in order to obtain citizenship will we all have to be in the country? We would like to obtain citizenship now because we may plan on moving in the next few years, but if we do not we all would like to be citizens regardless.

You would need to contact an attorney in Uruguay. A Uruguayan father definitely opens doors for you and in that case we aren’t sure if you need to be in the country Mark’s contact information is
Dr.Mark Teuten, Teuten Abogados
Tel: + (598 2) 9088638
Fax: + (598 2) 9088640mteuten@teutenabogados.comhttp://www.teutenabogados.com

Dear
sir hope you very well I am NAHID from BANGLADESH i am married i have a baby boy, actually sir i want permanent residence in URUGUAY through any kind of visa which prefer for me.So now sir if you have possibility for me migrate with work visa.u may inform any better way to migrate me and my family in URUGUAY .

Hi, Nahid. Since you are from a country required by Uruguay to apply for a visa to enter, you need a relative or someone already in the country who will sponsor you and your family. If you have that, we can put you in touch with someone who can help you. Arlean

Dear sir,
Thank you very much for your nice reply to me.i don’t know anyone in Uruguay.sir can you recommend me how can i apply for Paraguay visa and i need Paraguay immigration lawyer please i hope you suggest me best lawyer in Paraguay.Please could you help me out? How can I apply for tourist visa and how can I get Invitation Letter from Paraguay which will help me to get visa?
I will be grateful if you help me to get information and immigration lawyer proper way to apply.

Greetings to all ! We are happy family from India. I am worried about environmental changes or damages being done here I am trying to educate people about environmental issues. I have travelled to Uruguay on several occasions. I likeed the place and I don’t like high rise buildings and greener. Other reason is I found the Gross Happiness Index is quite high here and damage to environment is less and people are not very much exploited and are down to earth anf friendly and beautiful people. Moreover the cow breed here is from India with A2 milk protien . I do have business of import and export, and looking for opportunities for import to Uruguay at the same time exports from Uruguay. My website is http://mangla.diytrade.com Any advise in moving to this place will be highly appropriated. Regards

Hello Rajesh, what an interesting email. I had no idea the cow breed in Uruguay was from India. Also your web site is interesting. I suggest that you contact the attorney we recommend in Uruguay. Dr. Mark Teuten mteuten@teutenabogados.com. If you do decide to write him, if you include a copy to me at info@fourflagsjournal.com, then he can include me in his reply so that we will know what he told you. And good luck. I hope it goes well. Arlean

With due honor , i am drawing you attention that i want to go to Uruguay for living and working. I have someone to get marry there but i am Bangladeshi, i feet few problems to go ti Uruguay.If i get married there, can i get citizenship to live?

i want to know how can i get visa from bangladesh to Uruguay. i need to know early through your kind consideration.

Hi Himadri, If you are from Bangladesh, it is possible you will need a sponsor inside Uruguay and then you can immigrate there. If you have a girlfriend there, perhaps she could act as your sponsor. As I just posted, I suggest you contact the attorney there, Dr. Mark Teuten, mteuten@teutenabogados.com. If you include a copy of your email to us at info@fourflagsjournal.com, in your letter to him, then Sr. Teuten will be legally free to include me in his answer to you. I’m interested to see what he says. Best of luck to you. Arlean

Hello, I am wondering what the chances of being able to move to Uruguay as an American with a criminal record over 6 years old? I have a steady income over over 4000$ USD (I work from home and have no need to stay in America for the job). I am waiting on my FBI background to see what’s on there but it won’t be completely clean. Are there exceptions?

It may depend on the crime with which you were charged but I don’t think they go back over five years. So yes there are exceptions. I’d say if it is over five years, no problem. When you get the report and know what is the situation, you can check with Dr. Celano, or if you get back with me I will ask him for you. Arlean

My name is Rawaid. I have Masters Degree in International Relations from Lithuania. I am also working for Ministry of Economic Affairs, Government of Pakistan from more than 7 years now. My wife is Lithuanian citizen. At present, we are located in Lithuania. do you have any suggestion for us, i am talking about job options etc?

Hi Rawand, I suggest that you contact Mark Teuten, the attorney listed in the articles on Uruguay. He is in Uruguay and would have a better idea what is going on there. I’d appreciate if you ask him to send me a cc of the email. I’m interested also to know what he says. If you have any problem, let us know.

This is Ray from China, married and have a 3year-old daughter.
I’m working in Shanghai, this job is my only income.
I have a Uruguay friends, he has a company registed in Uruguay, if he hire me, pay me salary and tax , am I compulsory to live in Uruguay to get the permanent residence? Can I work in China and meanwhile, get the Uruguay permament residence in some years?

Hi and thanks for your comment. It is very difficult right now for any Middle East citizen to obtain residency or citizenship here unless you know someone in the country who can act as your sponsor. If that is the case for you. we can refer you to a very proficient lawyer who can help you.

My name is Youssef, am a 26 years old Egyptian living in Egypt. I have a bachelor degree in English and Spanish arts and literature, I can speak Spanish of course and I have been a marketing manager for almost 3 years now and 5 years work experience overall in Event Planning and Telecommunication.

My question is do I qualify to permanently reallocate to Uruguay? And if I do what are the requirements to do so? Also I have read somewhere that Arabs could never obtain Uruguayan citizenship, I was wondering if that’s true.

I read here from Arlean’s comments that people may require a sponsor, so I was wondering what would be needed from the sponsor to do exactly in terms of paper work or payments or whatever.

Hi Youssef, I have never heard that an Arab would never get citizenship. If that is true, we have not heard it here. In practice, however, it has become difficult for people from the Middle East to immigrate to several countries in our area. Yes you would need a sponsor. A sponsor is someone who would take legal responsibility for you, pay your bills if necessary, etc. Yes there would be paperwork. If Uruguay doesn’t work out, we don’t actually cover Ecuador here but we have heard that Ecuador’s entry requirements are a bit more liberal. If you’re interested, you can read his and his wife’s story on the article, Never, Never Give Up.

I am from India and 37 years old. I am a Cost and Management Accountant with 12 years of work experience. I want to immigrate to Uruguay. I know Level 3 Spanish. Would like to know

1. Whether I would need a sponsor to apply for residency permit or can I directly apply through consulate?
2. What all documents would be required to be submitted to get the PR visa?
3. How are the job opportunities for a person with my qualification and work experience in finance?

Hello Devesh, we don’t actually handle residency. We publish information for you. You would need a sponsor. If you can provide a sponsor and decide to proceed, we can recommend an attorney for you in Uruguay if you need one.

I want to immigrate to Uruguay, I am Egyptian Pharmacist, 33 years old, married and have 2 kids.I own a pharmacy in Egypt and 2 Arabian restaurant. I want to invest in Uruguay and establish an Arabian restaurant, but i need to live there not less than 6 months to discover the market.Could you help me what should i do?..I have read all the comments and the answers, i see that mainly Arabian, African and middle eastern countries need a sponsor.so if it’s also required for me and obviously i don’t have, what is the pathway for that.
Thanks in Advance

Hello, I am Dual citizen of both the United States and Iran. I was born in Iran, moved to the States when I young and became a citizen there.
I want to come to reside in Uruguay and intend of getting Uruguayian Nationality. I speak Spanish Fluently. And I am a photogrpaher by profession, but because I speak 4 languages fluently I also do teach English & Spanish & do translation services.
I’m not Rich, but I have heard Uruguay is a welcoming country and I would like to come and life there if there because I have heard good things about it. My following quesitons are:
(1) What are opportunities like overthere as far as photography goes if we want to have our own photographic business (my specialty is fashion & lifetsyle)? (2) To achieve residency how much monthly income do we really need to have to prove to immigreation authorities we can support ourselves? (3) Are Mosquitos a big problem in Uruguay? (4) Is me being a US citizen going to impede me from being able to open a bank account in uruguay? (5) Does Uruguay have Credit Unions? Is there a strong Credit Union presence in Uruguay? (6) I’m a single man in my late 30s, and I have no intentions of marrying, will people in Uruguay look at me in a suspicous way?
I’m also considering studying to become a fully qualified Spanish teacher, just like how English Teachers have their International TESOL certificates.
Oh and one last thing…while I can renounce my US citizenship by paying a the stupid $2,450 fee, I can’t under any circumstances renoucne my Iranian nationality, they won’t allow it. Will that complicate things if I decide to apply for Uruguayian nationality? Being a dual citizen already that is.
Thank You in Advance for you response, look forward to it.

Well you certainly have a lot going for you in that you already are fluent in Spanish. That is a big positive. Photography is probably like any business, it depends on you and your ability to stay the course until you are established. As a writer myself, I know there are many ways for photographers to earn as well. Obviously your languages are a big plus. Since you have a U.S. passport I would say your chances are good. No, no no, you would not want to renounce your U.S. citizenship. If you did not have that you could not come into Uruguay without a sponsor. The U.S. citizenship, however, limits your ability to open a bank account but there are a couple of banks in Uruguay that will serve you. For a single man, of course the cost of living depends on your lifestyle. The amount required by Immigration is not stated but I would want at least $1800 a month. I will warn you Uruguay is expensive. It is less expensive to live in most places in the U.S.–unless you live in certain areas like California, Washington D.C., etc. I do not think Uruguay has credit unions–at least as far as I know. If you do come to Uruguay, I hope you’ll let us know how your immigration process went. We do recommend a lawyer there, but if you are fluent in Spanish you may opt to do it yourself. But if you do need more help, we invite you to contact Mark Teuten, attorney, there in Montevideo.

Hello, my family is from Uruguay. I, however, was born in the United States. I was told that since my parents are Uruguayan I can also gain citizenship. How would I go about doing so? Could I start the process from the States and then appear to sign documents when needed? Thank you for your time.

Hi, Jeanine. Thanks to your questions, Mark Teuten, the attorney who wrote the article you are responding to, added a section just for you and others like you perhaps, to the article. If you will go there again, you will find answers to your questions. If you have more, let us know. Best of luck. Not that you’ll need it. You obviously have it all sewed up if you can just fulfill the requirements as stated.

Hello, I am inquiring to immigrate to Uruguay,i am architect engineer and work for more than 10 years experience in site constriction,and also i Egyptian am commercial pilot i have 40 years,i very good in English i have IELTS English and ICAO English for aviation communication. is there any chance to immigrat and work there, thank you

Hi Magdy, you are obviously very qualified in your field, but what you need for Uruguay is Spanish, although English can also be helpful. However, if your country of citizenship is Egypt you would need to know someone already in Uruguay who would be willing to sponsor you.

There is no income specified by Uruguay immigration, they analyze each case on its own merits. Our Uruguay attorney thinks it would take about $1500 a month income now to be approved. We are concerned about people who have been led to think Uruguay is inexpensive and that’s far from true. Monthly costs, of course, depend on the lifestyle of the person but realistically you would really need more to live in Uruguay.

Hi , I am Mohammed Tagaldeen Mohammed Ellakaany , I am Egyptian but I live in Saudi Arabia since 6 years
I have 2 questions please :
1- Can I come to Uruguay as a tourist and begin my steps to get temporary visa from there?
2- I am working at private company and I have Bank statement nearly 30 000 dollors and I have bank transfer nearly monthly 900 dollors but it is a private company and when I leave it my salary will stop , what is the solution because they want a stable transfer after I leave my work here.
Thanks a lot

Hi Mohammad, coming from Egypt it is a little more complicated. You would need a sponsor in Uruguay, someone who would take responsibility for you if you were to need it. You also must have a dependable monthly income. However, with a sponsor it might be possible to get a job within Uruguay if you speak Spanish. It’s very difficult to work in Uruguay unless you can communicate in Spanish. If all that is in place, yes you can come on a tourist visa and initiate residency. Arlean

Hi Arlean
Thanks for you. I am from saudi arabia. I retired and have fixed income $4300 + bank account $160000.
I like to study spanish language (3 years) and open business in uruguay. Also I want to get permanet residency and citizenship. What is my chance? What about income tax? And if I get the citizenship do I lose it if I live in other country? Thanks

Hi Abuhusam, I have questions for you. Is the income $4300 a month is my first question. Next, do you know anyone in Uruguay who might be willing to sponsor you. The sponsor is the most important thing. If you can let me know about those things, then we can get answers for the rest.

Hi again, I am going to consult with our Uruguay attorney for you. Normally anyone from your area is required to have a sponsor within the country. However, I am wondering if you might be able to come on a student visa in Uruguay without a sponsor. In Argentina even with a student visa you must have a sponsor, but I’m not sure about Uruguay. I will get back with you. If you don’t hear back from me don’t hesitate to post again and remind me.

Thank you very much.. I am happy that you care about us. Sorry to bother you .. I am happy in my country ..I just want to try and learn other cultures. I will try Panama. Thanks again and have a nice life.

I have already written Mark, our Uruguay attorney, and will post his response. Also if you do try Panama, we would appreciate if you’ll let us know how it goes. We have many subscribers who write us from your area. One wonderful family from India successfully settled in Ecuador. You can read their story on the web site under Never Give up–if you are interested.
Arlean

Thank you very much . You are very kind .
I asked a panamanian attorney, and he guide me to Reforestation program in Panama .
And he told me to live one year in Panama or 6 months before I decide to relocate.

hi im from india willing relocate to Uruguay im a chef by trade and also hold a hotel management degree with couple of years experience also i hv never travelled internationally if thts relevant can i apply for residence in Uruguay

Hi Sunny, In answer to your question, the only way you would be able to gain access to Uruguay is if you know someone in the country who will sponsor you. If you do, then we could help you. You certainly appear to have good skills, but you would need a sponsor.

Dear Sir
I am from Bangladesh. There is no Uruguayan consulate or embassy in Bangladesh and also it is not part of the Apostille treaty. Therefore, it is not possible for me to legalize or Apostille my documents by the Uruguayan consulate in my home country where the documents has been produced. At this unavoidable circumstance what should I do?

Hi Sadeq, I didn’t answer right away because I wanted to check with our Uruguay attorney. Here is what I found. It is very difficult to help people from your part of the world immigrate to our area, including Uruguay. We don’t know the reason. It isn’t official, we only know our experience. Our attorney there advises us that you would have to get a visa and that we have no way to help with that. Then when you are in Uruguay, you could apply for residency if you have a sponsor or guarantor. That’s where the problem lies most of the time unless you have friends or family in the country. The attorney tells us that he used to personally act as sponsor but now the government has ruled that he is not allowed to do that. I’m sorry that we can’t offer more help.

Thanks for your reply. In my birth country, there is no Uruguayan consulate or embassy and also it is not part of the Apostille treaty. For these reasons it is impossible for me to legalize or Apostille my documents by the Uruguayan consulate. But I have a Uruguayan friend who wants to invite and sponsor me to apply for permanent resident. If my friend invite and sponsor me then can I apply with my documents which are not legalized by the Uruguayan consulate in my birth country?

Yes, I understand that. In your case you don’t have to do that. But if you are from the Middle East or Asia, you must have someone in Uruguay who knows you and will be your sponsor and take responsibility for you if you need their help.

Sorry for further bothering you. I understand that I do not need to legalize my documents from my birth country. I just need to enter Uruguay with my original documents to apply for permanent residency as there is no Uruguayan Consulate in my birth country.

I am from Asia. Yes, I have someone in Uruguay who knows me and will be my sponsor. Now my question, do I need to possess the entry/tourist visa to enter Uruguay? If yes, can my Uruguayan friend help me to get the required visa to enter Uruguay in order to apply for permanent residency? How can my friend help me, please tell me.

Okay, this from from an immigration attorney in Uruguay. The relevant consulate for Bangladesh is in India, so you should contact them and get them to confirm the requirements and if you has somebody in Uruguay prepared to act as a sponsor – fantastic!! Hoping this helps.

Hello! great article very informative. Well I’m a Pakistani who recently got admission in an Australian University (Masters of Finance) , I have also started learning Spanish lately. Do u think I will be a good candidate for the Uruguay residency program?. Thanks

Yes, Shah, it seems to me that you would be. Especially if you are learning Spanish. That’s great. And with a master’s degree you certainly are qualified. But you do need to meet the income requirements or have a job in Uruguay. But with those qualifications I’d think your chances are very good.

Dear sir,
I intend to migrate Uraguay.m teacher of English.As I got to know that there is too much demand of teachers of English language,can I visit there to find job and after that apply for permanent residence?or what is the best way to get immigration?

Yes, you can visit there and see if you like it and, if you do, you can begin the immigration process. The requirements are listed in the article on obtaining residency. If you need more information you can contact Juan Fischer. Contact information is on this web site

We live in U.S. And want to live in Uruguay. My husband receives $1100 va benefit per month and I receive $1200 social security disability per month. We also have a condo here that we would want to rent out for about $1200 per month. Do you think the income is enough to live comfortably and is the source of the monthly income we receive accepted in Uruguay? Also, do they have a minimum to deposit in one of their banks? Many thanks.

Yes the amounts you name are adequate and the sources would be acceptable to immigration. I apologize that I am not up to date on the minimum amount to open an account at the bank. Uruguay is quite easy as far as banking is concerned. I am sure $5,000 would be enough but my guess is you could open for less. As we have suggested to others, a good expat forum in Uruguay is http://www.totaluruguay.com and I am sure they could update you. If you can read Spanish you can try http://www.bancorepublica.com.uy. That is the web site for the State bank.

Does Uruguay have the equivalent of pensionado classification for residence? I would be applying with my wife and our sole income at that time would be approx. $USD1600/month from U.S. Social Security plus $USD600 from a lifetime annuity. Is that level of income sufficient to qualify for residency?

Hi Casey, Mark Teuten is an independent attorney in Uruguay. There is contact information for him on the web site. The article was written by him. Or you can contact Juan Fischer. His web site and contact information are http://www.fs.com.uy/juan-federico-fischer/ And yes there is a classification for retirees and the amount of money you mention is sufficient for applying. However, I will warn you that Uruguay has gotten expensive. You will see articles on the Internet about how inexpensive it is but that is no longer true. It will cost about as much to live in Uruguay as it would in Florida in the States if that tells you anything. In fact I think heating might be more expensive in Uruguay if you are using gas. That does not matter to a lot of people. I only mention it in case it is is of importance to you.

Hallo I am 35 yrs old I m Indian citizen I am married and my wife has a Philippines citizen. I have a master degree of pharmacy. And my wife is a nurse. We want to settle in Uruguay. But we don’t know How ? I can speak Spanish.
Could u please suggest me ?

Hi, Mohammed. that sounds GREAT. You certainly have qualifications AND you speak Spanish. That is probably a bigger advantage than you suspect. You apparently read the article on getting residency and citizenship in Uruguay so I don’t really know what else I can tell you. There is a forum that might be helpful. It has a lot of people posting who have done what you are interested in doing and are very knowledgeable. They are at http://www.totaluruguay.com. I suggest you go and sign in there and ask whatever questions you need. I think the woman who runs that site now may offer immigration services as well, but there are also two attorneys in Uruguay that do this work. But if you speak Spanish I would think you can handle it yourself. If you do that and still need help, get back to us and we’ll do what we can. Arlean

Hello, i`m from Serbia(southeast Europe). My wife and i are married, we have one 7 month old child. I`m lawyer, my wife has finished japanese language studies, we don`t have crmininal sentences. What is a chance for our family to immigrate to Uruguay, without much money or with about 70000 dollars? Is there any programs in Uruguay for immigration to start family buissnes? Thanks

Hi Miroslav, This a puzzle. I am sure I answered your post but the answer is not here. I’ll try again.

First, Uruguay is more concerned if you have a monthly income that will support you. You certainly have good qualifications. My major question is whether you speak Spanish. If you do, then it’s possible you could find work in Uruguay while you and your wife also build a business. Aside from that might be a student visa to study–perhaps Uruguay law–at the University. Probably you should consult with a Uruguay immigration attorney. You could try Juan Fischer, Juan Fischer at Fischer & Schickendantz in Montevideo, 598 2 915-7468. One other suggestion. Don’t limit your possibilities to Uruguay. You also have Argentina, Chile and Paraguay to look at in case one does not work out for you. Good luck.

I am from Pakistan going to be retired on 28th. September, 2015 from Government service as Inland Revenue Officer,Federal Board of Revenue Karachi Pakistan. I will be getting funds and commutation and other benefit amounting to US$30,000/- and my monthly income would be around US$ 800/- Do you sujjest me to move to Urogoay for the rest of my life. My spouse is also a teacher and earning income. Iam also holding Multiple vis of Canada.

Hi Shahid, first question would be will your wife also have retirement income when you come. I think that the $800 would qualify you for residency legally in Uruguay but Uruguay has become quite expensive. I would not want to try to live on $800 a month there and my lifestyle is far from extravagant. But that is up to you to decide. Ecuador is less expensive. For more information you might try http://www.totaluruguay.com. It’s a forum for expats and they usually can answer almost any question. Wishing you the best.

Hi Dr. Mark Teuten
I am Joe from Lebanon, Beirut and looking for a chance to live and work in Uruguay.I am not rich in pocket,but rich in mind,knowledge and work experience.Is it possible i send you my CV in a private email?

Hi Joe. Mark Teuten is not in our office. He is located in Uruguay and his contact information is in the article on the web site. You can either try him or Juan Fischer at Fischer & Schickendantz law firm. Their web site is http://www.fs.com.uy. Juan Fischer at Fischer & Schickendantz in Montevideo, 598 2 915-7468

I found no information online regarding my question. Although you don’t need to buy property to become a resident of Uruguay, is there still an option to become permanent resident through purchase of real estate or economic investment?

Dear Irina, As far as we know there is no provision in Uruguay for residency based on investment. The major criterion appears to be having enough monthly income to support yourself and they decide that.

i Live in Türkiye ( Turkey ) 52 years male . my wife 39 y.o and my douther 1 y.o.
Me and my wife have own Airport transfer company . we earn 75.000 usd yearly here.
i studied universty in italy management. i speak italian , english and russian. so offcourse Turkish.
My wife studied universty landscape architect . and she speak english Turkish.
We have clean criminal records. Why Uruguay ?
i love my country Turkey but our country near meaddle east ( wars , religions probles ecc. ) İ want future for my dougther peaceful and safe. country like Uruguay.
We want to live in Uruguay . i have some question if you aswer me i will be happy.
1. First i will be come to uruguay to organize for aplication (soggiorno ). me and for my family . And what is the condition for aplication ?
2. i want to do investment ( about 50.000 usd ) in first year.
3- first year me and my wife will me live 90-100 days in uruguay ( because we will organize our job to transfer to uruguay. ,than second year 6-8 monts we will be in uruguay.
4. Last i need soggiorno and investment permition in Uruguay and , Than We Want
to be Uruguay Citizen. is it possible ? and procedure and rules.
Can you hel me about those question.
Best Regards
BülenT

Hi Bulent, no I can’t answer your questions since you have quite a few unusual circumstances since you have an operating business outside the country. I think you need to consult with an attorney or, since you speak Spanish, perhaps contact Uruguay immigration directly. Incidentally, it is a big advantage that you speak Spanish. I suggest you contact Juan Fischer, attorney at Fischer & Schickendantz at *587 2 915-7468. Their web site if http://www.fs.com.uy.

Dear Sir/Madam
I am an Iraqi psychiatrist.I graduated from Basrah Medical College in 1993, had obtained my postgraduate degree in general psychiatry in 2010.I am a lecturer of psychology and psychiatry in medical college.
I am married with 4 children.
Please tell me about my chance to success in immigration to Uruguay and how to ensure that.

Hi, you certainly have good credentials. I am wondering two things. Do you speak Spanish. If you are proficient in Spanish you should be able to get a job in your profession. If not in Uruguay then in one of the other countries in the Southern Cone. I think you should hold your destination open.There is a lot of good opportunity in our part of the world as far as choice of countries. About Uruguay in particular, I would suggest the same to you as I have the other queries here, that you contact Juan Fischer of Fisher & Schickendantz for suggestions about Uruguay. Juan Fischer at Fischer & Schickendantz in Montevideo, 598 2 915-7468.

Only one slight problem, in my country of birth I have no criminal record – its clean, in the country I have resided in I have a class C record (nothing too serious). How does this hamper the my efforts in terms of moving to Uruguay.

I have no issues being on a long term tourist visa that can be extended. If my wife was to move over and obtain citizenship, would I then be able to apply & get a resident visa?

I would like to find out if you have dealt with such cases and your experience in this field.

In terms of applying for residency, is it possible to do so within Uruguay, provided we have all our documents in order and stamped this side? Since we are both from countries which dont require us to have visas for entry for up to 90 days?

If you could or would prefer to email me directly please do so.

In terms of work, our business is conducted over the internet so we are not reliant on a employment. Though I do speak Spanish

Great that you have an independent Internet business. We don’t offer immigration services but we will give you as much information as we can. As for the record, I’m not sure what a Class C record is but the age of the record is a factor. I don’t think it shows up even after a certain period of time. In Argentina at one time it was five years, for example (I’m not sure what it is now). Another factor is that it is possible for a couple that is legally married to get citizenship in three years whereas for a single it is five years so that might make a difference for you as well. However, many people do stay as tourists. You can go through the border, turn around and come right back in without a problem. Some countries require you to be outside for a certain number of hours but Uruguay has no such requirement. I suggest you contact Juan Fischer. He is a Uruguay attorney who handles immigrations along with a myriad of other services. His web site is http://www.fs.com.uy. We’d like to know how it works out. You can contact us h ere or at info@fourflagsjournal.com.

I am from Bangladesh and interested to get residency visa in Uruguay. As a Bangladeshi can i apply residency visa in Uruguay? I completed my Post- Graduation degree and unmarried. Now I am working with a private firm and get $700. I also doing chartered accountancy professional course here.

Please If there any possibility to migrate of my plan suggest me where and how can I apply.

Hi Saleh. I listed an attorney on the web site who handles immigration in Uruguay. But I think I’ll suggest something else to you. You can try the attorney, but there is a forum about Uruguay at http://www.totaluruguay.com. You might find more options by posting this there. Or you can contact Juan Fischer at the address and phone on the web site. One question, do you speak Spanish. If you want to work in Uruguay at a local job, speaking the language is very important. However, if you are working for the firm online then that would not be a problem. Also be sure to ask them about your country of origin. I am sorry to say that people from the Middle East have a real problem immigrating to some countries in South America. I have no idea the reason.The last subscriber we had who was finally successful is now in Ecuador. His story is on the web site. I wish you good luck.

Hello Arlean, my name is Kenneth from Ghana and i am a footballer. We were given an invitation letter for trials in Uruguay by CONFEDERACION ATLETICA DEL URUGUAY SPORTS AGENCY. We are four (4) in number and we have received the invitation letter but we do not know how to go about the visa application as the Uruguay embassy is located in South Africa and that is very far from us.
Please sir can you kindly assist me by telling us what to do?

Hi Kenneth, I’m so sorry but we don’t offer visa service here, we merely publish information. Can you contact the people who invited you. The only other option I know would be to contact the Fischer and Schnichendantz law firm listed on our web site. Their web site is http://www.fs.com.uy.

Hi Chris and congratulations on your little addition to the family. Although we don’t offer immigration services I will do my best to answer. Yes all documents have to be accompanied by an apostille. You should be able to get information from the Uruguay Consulate nearest your home. If you are in Colorado, my guess is that would be in Denver.

I an Md. Sahadat Hossain from Bangladesh . here I have a job. I am masters in Accounting . My monthly salary are US $ 500 per month.
I want to get Uruguayan citizenship. Would You tell me how can I get Uruguayan citizenship?
Please reply me as early as possible.
& if possible guide me what will i do for it.

Hello Md. Sahadat Hossain. As stated in other responses, you will probably need to contact someone in Uruguay who does immigration services. The attorney that we know who does that is Juan Fischer at Fischer and Schnickendantz in Montevideo, Uruguay. Their web site is http://www.fs.com.uy.

Hi,
I am interested to know if myself (31 year old, Pakistani), husband (30 year old, Bangladeshi) and 6 month baby (Bangladeshi) would qualify for immigration and citizenship of Uruguay. Husband and I are both Bachelors degree holders (BBA – Marketing). I work as a Training Manager and earn a fixed salary of US$ 3400 per month. Husband runs a Car Rental business. We were both born the United Arab Emirates and have lived here ever since.

Hello Aisha. It certainly sounds to me like you would qualify for residency in Uruguay. However, if you would need to work in Uruguay you would need to know the language. It is sometimes possible to work without Spanish in certain jobs but not often. I suggest you contact an immigration attorney in Uruguay. We are not familiar with very many people in Uruguay who handle immigrations but we know one law firm that does is Juan Fischer at Fischer and Schnickendantz. Their web site is http://www.fs.com.uy. I certainly wish you all the best of luck.

Yes Monique, in almost any South American country, being a first degree relative of a citizen of that country pretty much opens the door for you. You usually have to be present in the country, but having a first-degree relative makes it easier.

No, you aren’t already a citizen in Uruguay unless you were born there or have naturalized there. Also Uruguay is very particular about people getting permanent residency, even, unless they live in the country. However, I suggest you contact the attorney, Juan Fischer, that we recommend in Uruguay just to verify that you need to be in the country to get citizenship. His contact information is here: http://www.fs.com.uy/juan-federico-fischer/

Hi, I am a Ghanaian of 38years of age and will like to migrated to Uruguay. I have BSC Marine Engineering and HND Mechanical Engineering with 11 years industry experience in the heavy steel and production sector.I cann’t speak spanish but i am eager to learn.
I want to know if i can get permenet permit and working permit.
Secondly , there is no consulate of uruguay in Ghana, pls kindly show me where i can get one

Hello Emmanuel. You certainly have good qualifications and if you can learn Spanish you well may be able to get residency. We suggest you contact Juan Fischer. He is an immigration attorney in Uruguay. there may be others who do this work but we are not acquainted with them. You might go to a Uruguay forum http://www.totaluruguay.com and see if there is more information there. But if you decide to contact Juan, his web page is http://www.fs.com.uy. Good luck.

Hi Faisal I am 33 year old Pakistani citizen married with a kid of 9 mmonth old. I am interested in migrating to Uruguay or Argentina . after reading the article I gathered that migration from pakistan sub continent is becoming rather difficult. Please advise a pathway e.g. coming as a mature student or applying form here. Greatly

Hi Faisal, for some reason it does seem a little challenging for people from your area right now. Things do change and that may not always be the case and I can’t give you a reason for it. One of our subscribers tried several places and finally got into Ecuador with his wife and they now have a new baby, born in Ecuador. One way to enter Argentina is to do as you suggested, come on a student visa. After two years in the country you can apply for citizenship. We do have a very good attorney here in Buenos Aires who offers immigration services if you decide you are serious about Argentina.

Hello Sir , I am a 48 years old single man from Morocco , I speak fairly Spanish , as to income I have roughly 350K US Dollar deposited in banks here in Morocco on a 3% to 4% interest rate , I also have a fluctuating monthly income for about 4K Us Dollar but it would be a lot difficult for me to prove it since it is mainly from online marketing and it is not steady and could depend from month to month …..I also own a property that I rent here in Morocco (less than 200USD monthly income ) ….my question is do I qualify for immigration to Uruguay and would my income from the money in banks be sufficient to prove the required monthly income …thank you sir for your advise …

Dear Khalid, it certainly does sound as if you could qualify in Uruguay. You would need some kind of proof of the income though. There is almost always a way to do that. Do you not have any kind of receipts for money or anything to indicate what you are taking in? We have one man who came to Uruguay with an online business as his only income. He did not get citizenship there but he did get residency and I’m sure could have applied for citizenship if he had chosen to do so. If you decide to apply in Uruguay and need help, we can refer you to an immigration attorney if you need one. Arlean

Hey. I’m from Ukraine, and we have Uruguayan consulate, and they even issue visas. BUT. When applying for any visa they require you to attest in writing that you won’t fire for permanent residency. When I talked to our ambassador, she said that immigration to Uruguay is impossible. Than I called the embassy in Moscow and they told me that the requirement of the letter is just a formality and I can come and fire for the permanent residency anyway. But now I’m a bit dubious about this advice. Can you comment on this, or do you have anyone I could talk to about this? Other than my country of origin, I perfectly qualify for permanent residency.

Dear Arsen, this is news to me. We are finding that it is not easy for people from certain countries to immigrate but I had not heard that about Ukraine. We do know an immigration attorney in Uruguay that you can try. His contact information is Juan Fischer of Fischer & Schickendantz Rincón 487, Piso 4, Montevideo 11000 Uruguay, Phone+598 (2) 915-7468, Fax +598 (2) 916-1352

If you will email and let us know what you find out, it could help us to be able to help someone else with the same problem. Also if this doesn’t work, let us know and we may have another suggestion. Arlean

I am a Government Officer / Bank Manager in Pakistan. I am about to be 50. I have Rental income of 1800.USD per month while I have other liquid assets more than enough to cover our stay in Uruguay besides my handsome salary. My wife is also a doctor and she has done specialization in Ultrasound. I have also a son aged 14. I would like to relocate to Uruguay. How can we migrate to this country.

Dear Javed, For sure you would qualify as far as the financial aspect is concerned. Probably the best thing would be for you to contact an immigration attorney in Uruguay. You can try Juan Fischer at
Fischer & Schickendantz
Rincón 487, Piso 4
Montevideo 11000 Uruguay
Phone+598 (2) 915-7468
Fax +598 (2) 916-1352

Buen dia :D. Am trying to figure out best way to relocate with family in Uruguay. We are family of 4 and we have family run businesses that just requires office and can be done from any place on Earth.
But I do believe it could be a good idea to seek for some legal advises. Just to make sure that all details are done good and on time.

Hi arlean. I am 37 year old Pakistani citizen married with a kid 2 year old. I am interested in migrating to Uruguay or Argentina . after reading the article I gathered that migration from Indian sub continent is becoming rather difficult. Please advise a pathway e.g. coming as a mature student or applying form here. Greatly appreciate your advice . regards

Hi Ali, sadly I am finding it very difficult to assist people from India. I would not discourage you from trying, though. There are quite a few people from India in Paraguay. I can’t help you much in Paraguay since I no longer have a good recommendation for you. We have a man there who has assisted people successfully, but he isn’t very good at responding to people so we stopped recommending him. Perhaps you read the story of Gautam Makwana in the Journal. He and his wife finally gained residency in Ecuador and they are very happy, now expecting their first child. Things change here all the time and so I don’t want to discourage you though from trying in a country of your choice. We wish you well.

Hi Arlean,
Actually I wish to come and live in Uruguay (Me, my wife and my two daughters) and obtain Uruguayan citizenship as I am Palestinian and I am residing in Kuwait since birth with temporary residence, I have bachelor degree in communications & electronics engineering and master degree of science in telecom technology, Cisco certified, Oracle certified and Sun Microsystems certified, my age is 32 years, I have more than nine years experience in telecom field , my wife also educated, she has bachelor degree in accounting and commercial law with more than three years experience as accountant, I have two daughters, my monthly salary around 2900$, my wife monthly salary around 1350$, my wife has flat in Jordan, are we eligible for Uruguay program (Residency & Citizenship)?
Thanks in advance for your response

I have a pretty specific question. I’m a survey engineer and wondering about if can I work as a engineer in Uruguay as soon as I get there or do I need an equivalence certificate of my diploma or should I go to a postgraduate school or something like that. One way or another how can I learn more about the situation?

Hi Cagri, first of all, do you speak Spanish? This is a big hurdle for people who want to work here in a Uruguay industry. I see you do well with English and like so many of you amazing people, no surprise to us if you speak several languages, but you do need Spanish. We don’t know the answer to that here but possible resources would be contacting the law office of Fischer & Schickendantz, http://www.fs.com.uy/ and talk with their immigration person, or perhaps contact the university there in Montevideo.

Hi, actually I wish to come and live in the Uruguay (Me, my wife and my two daughters) and obtain Uruguayan citizenship as I am holding Egyptian Travel Document for Palestinian Refugees (Palestinian) and I am residing in Kuwait since birth with temporary residence, I have bachelor degree in communications & electronics engineering and master degree of science in telecom technology, Cisco certified, Oracle certified and Sun Microsystems certified, my age is 32 years, I have more than nine years experience in telecom field , my wife also educated, she has bachelor degree in accounting and commercial law with more than three years experience as accountant, I have two daughters, my monthly salary around 2900$, my wife monthly salary around 1350$, my wife has flat in Jordan, are we eligible for Uruguay program?

Greetings from Iran,
Me and my wife have really took a liking to Uruguay and would love to obtain Uruguayan Residency and Citizenship.
Our proof of income is about US$ 15,000 to US$ 30,000 a year from the yearly benefit of having some stocks here.
Do you think that we have a case here?
If so, would you please lead us in the right direction.
You mentioned in a reply to Mr. Esmaeili that there are people who can handle cases from Iran.
I’d be very thankful to know more…

Dear Moeen, From your information it certainly seems you could qualify for residency and later even citizenship in Uruguay. You would need to be able to prove your income but otherwise it sounds very good. As posted previously, we suggest you contact the immigration person at Fischer & Schnickendantz, http://www.fs.com.uy/. another possibility is Mark Teuten (598) 2908 8638 mail@teutenabogados.comhttp://www.teutenabogados.com. If you will let us know what is your experience with Uruguay, we really appreciate it since it helps us to help others who contact us. Best of luck!

Hi Mian, I see several comments from you and don’t think you mentioned your country. If there is a Uruguay embassy near you I suggest you contact them for information about immigration. Otherwise we suggest you gather the items suggested in the article and apply for a visa and then go to immigration when you get to Uruguay and begin the process. It sounds to us like your income would qualify. As I have suggested to others, if you let us know how things go for you it help us to help others who would like to come here.

Hi. I think I meet all conditions regarding eligibility for citizenship, except proof of income. I am a freelance translator and I have stable income (USD 1500+). However, I cannot document it as a stable salary income I have various clients. Is there any category that applies to this situation?

I don’t know if it would work but I can submit copies of past bank statements and prove that I have received various totals from different customers regarding translation work, and ask certain clients if they can provide me with a statement to that effect.

I don’t speak Spanish and I don’t think it would be easy to become fluent within a short time. Therefore, I guess getting employed in Uruguay is off the table.

Currently, this seems to be the only issue that is of concern. I would appreciate if you could provide me with some insight.

Dear Rustem, If you are a U.S. citizen, there is a good chance you can prove this with your income tax return if the return shows your income. We know of one man who has all internet advertising income who was able to prove it from his online records and other proofs, so as long as there is a record, it seems to us you could qualify. You are correct. If you are simply a retiree or have work outside the country, you can do fine without Spanish. But it’s nearly impossible to become employed without the language. However, we do strongly recommend that you learn Spanish after you come since you are obviously a businessman, you will find it very helpful. If you think of it, let us know how it goes.

I have a question, regarding source of fund: $50k of my current asset is from saving of my salary, but the rest ($75k), is the money that I won by buying a lottery ticket in Australia (Ozlotto). Can I apply for residency in Uruguay (then PR of Uruguay), with this type of source of fund?

Dear Edi, WOW! You bought a lottery ticket and won $75K? How come that never happens to me? 🙂 Good for you! Good job!. The best answer to your question is that we don’t know if you can get in on that without either showing an income or having employment. All we know to tell you is to contact the people we have recommended you contact, or else just try it and see what happens. Let us know if you can. You can try Teléfono: + (598) 2908 8638 mail@teutenabogados.comhttp://www.teutenabogados.com or the immigration person at http://www.fs.com.uy or the local Uruguay embassy near you. In Argentina you would still need proof of income but Uruguay might be different. Also one of our readers might have an answer for you. They’re pretty smart!

I am a syrian national, living in Dubai UAE. my husband has lost his job here in Dubai and due to the recent events in Syria it is impossible for us to go back… we were considering moving to Uruguay and having a fresh start somewhere we can call home…
If my husband move there first, and he show proof of income coming from me monthly, my salary is around 4000$ monthly will that work for him to get residency and try to find a job and then maybe along the way I can move also?
Any info or suggestions would be great as I am trying to gather as much info as possible.

Hi Arlean,
Great posts/comments about Uruguay which is a country I have been following closely for many years.I have some very close Uruguayan friends who live in
Piriapolis and Montevideo and I plan to retire in 2015, move to Uruguay with the intent to reside permanently.All the requirements listed for residency are not an issue for me and easily satisfied.The only question I have is regarding criminal records(relax I have never been arrested in my life).I am US citizen holding a US passport but have not lived in the US full time since 1986.I moved to Hong Kong in 1986 and lived there where I still hold permanent residency. 5 years ago I moved to Taiwan where I now live but only as a visitor not as a permanent resident.So getting a police report from the US would not be a problem however getting one from Taiwan would be since they only issue police reports to those that have residence status.In this case how could I satisfy the Uruguayan requirement of a police report from where a person has lived for the last 5 years? Please advise with thanks.

Hi, Robert. We’ve been away and trying to catch up. I am making a list of questions to run by appropriate attorneys and your question is on it. If by chance I don’t get back to you don’t hesitate to contact us again. It’s going to take a while to catch up. We never ignore a question but just on the chance one falls through the cracks it’s always okay to write again.

Yes, Ozan, you can bring $75,000 to Uruguay but you must keep the paperwork on the sale to prove where the money came from and will need to present it at the Uruguay bank. And yes, you can also do small business in Uruguay. Uruguay is very friendly to business. I don’t think you’d want to carry $75,000 in cash, although you can as long as you declare it if it is over $10,000. I assume you didn’t intend to carry that much cash. My concern would be robbery, of course, since you do have to declare it at the airport.

hi, i have one question my husband want invest some money in aggriculture land in u country but he want come alone and see all land and after that want pramantly resideacy of uregury so please tells how can we do all proudure .we r indian so indian has different ruls for get p r for uuguay

Hello Kuldeep, to answer your question, we don’t know. We suggest you follow the other suggestions we have given to others from India, and that you just try. One of our Indian readers that we corresponded with for months finally got residency, with his wife, in Ecuador, they have jobs, have already learned Spanish (which amazes me) and are expecting their first child. But there is a fairly large Indian population in Paraguay. We have no experience in Uruguay and if you do apply there, would appreciate if you keep us informed. Best wishes!

Hi and thank you for this great article. I was wondering if you could help me with a question. I am an expat in Montevideo already with a resident in transition cedula. My girlfriend has joined me and is currently just a 90 day toursit. She is a dual US and Brazilian citizen but her only source of income is me. Her desire is to attend a Montevideo University when she is here. I assume cedular is required to attend university in MVD. Assuming residency is required, will it be difficult for her to obtain a residenecy since she is a student and her only income stream is me? Does it help that she is a Brazilian citizen or is it the same exact process as me being from the US?

Hi, we apologize for the delay in getting back with you. As you may know, we’ve been away and now trying to catch up. I don’t think this will work as boyfriend and girlfriend. As long as she is not married to you, she would have to qualify on her own. But if you’re serious about her, why don’t you just go ahead and marry her? Two relatives can get citizenship in Uruguay (if a second passport matters to you) in only three years, whereas for single people the time is five years. Good luck! Arlean

Justin, one more comment. I am going to check with an attorney about whether it makes a difference that your girlfriend is a citizen of Brazil. I don’t think it does. I think she still has to qualify, but I will check.

Hi Francesco, I would say not very likely at all. I know that at least when Mark wrote the article that was the requirement but unless you will own your own home there, that would fall far short of what you would need. And I think it would even then. Uruguay was, at one time, a very inexpensive place to live. In our opinion that time is past. Argentina, for example, is much less expensive. I think even $1200 would be cutting it a little close in Uruguay but would be more doable.

Great summary!
I just have a question, please.
I both earn rental income (2000USD p mth) and freelance (work) income (also around 2000USD p mth)
If my goal is to obtain UY citizenship, and if i do NOT want to renew a ‘temporary UY residence permit’ (i don’t like hassle of renewal), then, is it possible to do the:
# Permanent Residency route (and NOT the ‘temporary residency’)
# and show only my Rental income coming on my Uruguay bank(and NOT show the work income)
?

Because i really hate hassles, that’s why i want to avoid ‘temporary residency permit’ which must be renewed,..and so if i can also avoid to show my freelance income (online work which stays tax free in UY anyway as it is foreign sourced) it will be fluctuating each month- that’s why i prefer to only show the Rental Income which is the same amount each month, and never fluctuates.

I am giggling a bit, Daisy, because you say you hate hassles. Well so do I and all I can say is Welcome to South America, the Land of Hassles! However, most of us survive and adjust. Unless something has changed, you must get your temporary residency first and then the permanent. And yes your $2,000 a month rental income should work very nicely. Things do change and I’m not sure if they have in Uruguay but one member of our group here obtained residency in Uruguay on a similar basis and had to provide signed statements from renters attesting to the fact that they were renting and the amount of the rent. However, it is possible that a lease stating the rent per month would be acceptable as well.

Thanks so much for the speedy reply!
I am just not really clear about what you are saying.

You start off, saying I ought to go for the ‘temporary residency’, based on ‘work income’.

And then, you go on saying ‘but you can also use the Rental income’.

Actually, my question was:
– can i do the Permanent Residency based on Rental Income alone.

In other words, i understand other people might want to do a ‘temporary residency’ and then ‘convert to Permanent’. But the whole point is, i would like to do ‘Permanent Residency’ straight away, with the Rental Income alone (I know the DNM in Montevideo allows to “fast track Permanent Residency”). Is that at ‘route’ (eg using Rental income and applying for Permanent Residency only) at all possible, meaning: will this particular route jeopardize future citizenship plans?

I will be living in UY- that’s not an issue. But before i start off, I would need clarifications please.

Yes your rental income will qualify you for residency without the work income. I myself didn’t know about a “fast track Permanent Residency.” It is possible that would be the case if your rentals are in the country of Uruguay. But I will look into it. But the answer to whether you can use your rental income to qualify you for residency is yes and no it would not jeopardize citizenship.

Hello. Great article, first of all.
I have a question regarding proof of income. I am an Indian expat, living and working in Dubai for over 10 years. My monthly income is approx 6K USD. I am married and have no children (nor plan to). We have some savings here and there, but no property or tangible assets.
I would like to know, therefore, if it’s possible for my wife to live in Uruguay with me continuing to work in Dubai, providing my work-salary as her monthly income? Assuming worst-case scenario, let’s say she doesn’t work and relies entirely on my work-salary. Are there any restrictions on such cases or does POI have to come from a tangible asset or financial fund of some sort?
Thanks again for the info. Regards, Rog.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Roger, that is a good question. I’m going to see if I can find out for you. Or you can contact Mark Teuten, the attorney mentioned in the article directly. I have a couple of questions. Do you plan to live in Uruguay eventually? How much time will you actually spend in Uruguay? Like 30 days every three months or every other month–or how will that work? My feeling is that you can do that but I would not want to be wrong and mislead you. I do know a couple (with two children) who got residency in Paraguay that way but Uruguay has tightened up their requirements a bit. I’ll look for your reply.

Hi, sorry for late response. I was on a business trip and couldn’t access my emails…
The plan for us is eventually to retire in Uruguay. However there is the issue of income in order to get residency status.
Naturally, I would imagine, it would be difficult for us to get employment there initially (and therefore the income requirement would not be fulfilled).
So this is why my plan was for my wife to live there and I would supply the income by working here continuously. Of course, I would be visiting every now and then, but I would not be living there continuously – just visiting 🙂
So, the idea here was for my wife to get the residency / citizenship first (since she will be the one living there permanently but me supplying the income). Assuming it’s allowed, then once she gets her citizenship, then I could quit my job here, move over there and search for work. By that time, we would have bought our house in Uruguay fully and possibly renting it out (to get additional income) while i search for work.
Eventually, then, I would get the residency as well or possibly my wife could “sponsor” me and we can get my citizenship through her (if that makes sense?).

Hi, Roger, yes I think it is completely possible for you to do that. However, I do plan to check with someone in Uruguay for you to find out exactly what is required and if perhaps you would be able to get at least temporary residency. As I wrote you, they are pretty particular these days about granting residency for someone not living full time in the country. But yes I do think your plan will work. More later.

Hello, first off, thank you for posting this very helpful info and helping everyone out.
I have a couple questions myself, I’m currently living in the u.s and am very interested in permanently residing in Uruguay, but I’ve never even traveled out of the states before. I currently work at a factory that has locations all over the world (including Uruguay) and i am pretty sure a transfer from one factory to another wouldnt be a problem as long as i have all the proper paper work. currently i make $1,400 a month but if i was living in Uruguay I’m sure the wages would be a little different, but likely a livable income I’m sure.
do you think i would be approved for entry since my income would be based on my employment in Uruguay?
I realize this question is a little odd but ive been interested in uruguay for quite some time and once i heard the company i work for has factories over there, it just seems like thats where i should be.
any information would be very helpful,
tons of thanks.
Clayton

Hi Clayton, you are more than welcome. I think your situation. as presented. is one of the ideal ways to emigrate–when you have a job waiting for you. As you probably noticed, Mark Teuten included in this article that the required income is $650. so you are fine there. In responding, I assume you are single since you didn’t mention children or anything. In your place I think I would contact the Uruguay Consulate nearest your home and see if they have any other comments. The thing is. things can change even since Mark wrote the article. In my case, when I applied for residency to Argentina i found out I could do all the preparation at the Consulate and when I arrived in Argentina all I had to do was make an appointment with Immigration for an interview and it was done–for that year. Argentina is a little easier than Uruguay though, I must say. Also, since you would be going as an employee, your employer will have to provide some forms as well to verify your employment. Good luck and if you think of it, let us know how it goes. Arlean

I am a bangladeshi national working as a pilot outside bangladesh on a month on month off contract.. I am 33, married with a daughter.. Earning usd 6k+ every month.
Now, am i ok to relocate with my family? Considering my nationality, age, type of job etc..
I want my wife n daughter to be there and i will come back every other month to spend time with my family.. Will it be a draw back in the longrun getting the citizenship as i will out side the country half of the year..

Hello, Arman. According to the attorney who wrote this article, that is correct. He says it can be any two family members. Like if you came with your mother or a brother. But actually, my understanding is that in Uruguay the time to citizenship does not begin until you get temporary residency, which can take a year. If that is a case, then in effect it could be more like four years. But things do change. Everything in Immigration seems to be taking a long time now, supposedly because of the large number of people applying for residency. Arlean

You certainly would qualify as far as income is concerned. I suggest that you contact the attorney that wrote that article, or Juan Fischer’s law firm. We have good reports on both attorneys. Unless you are fluent in Spanish you will need help. As stated before, Uruguay is getting very picky about people being in the country. Your wife and daughter should have no problem, and perhaps they would take your work into consideration. One of the attorneys could probably tell you. Best of luck, Arlean

My mother was born in Uruguay, emigrated to the US around age 10, and I was born here.

It’s my understanding that – according to Uruguayan nationality laws – I’m a natural citizen based on my mother’s citizenship.

I’m not interested in moving to Uruguay full-time, but it would be nice to be able to spend October-March in the Southern Hemisphere. I work from home, so living abroad wouldn’t be disruptive to my career at all.

My question is, where do I go to establish my citizenship, and what documents would I need to get established as a natural citizen? I live in San Diego, the nearest consulate is a couple hours away in Santa Monica, so I’d like to have all my ducks in a row before I drive up there.

Hi, Dan. Glad to hear you are planning to spend time in Uruguay. Lots of people divide there time as you plan to do.

We do not offer immigration services but we do provide information. Things change all the time here and we can very unexpectly be out of date. But the article you posted on by one of our attorneys in Uruguay, Mark Teuten, sets forth the documents you need. I don’t think you have automatic citizenship based on your mother’s citizenship, but you definitely have the right to apply for citizenship.

Mark is one of the attorneys that we recommend and also Juan Fischer Phone 598 2 915-7468, email jfischer@fs.com.uy, web site ww.fs.com.uy. Mark’s contact information is on the article you responded to. Also, if I were you, I would contact the Uruguay consulate there closest to your home. I now hold Argentina citizenship but I was able to do all the preliminary for residency at the Consulate in Miami. Then all I had to do was show up for an appointment here in Argentina the next time I returned. You do then have to be in Argentina for 2 years though. Different countries have different policies and we are not sure about Uruguay. Your situation is a bit different so my suggestion is that you first contact the Uruguay Consulate and see what they say. Then you can contact either of the attorneys if you decide to do so. Uruguay is getting very picky about giving residency to anyone who is not physically in the country. I don’t know about citizenship when your mother was a citizen. My own son was told he was approved for permanent residency in Uruguay, that he could have a representative pick up his document when it was ready, so he went back to the states to arrange to ship our things to Uruguay. He waited for the permanent residency to come through and it kept being delayed for one reason or another. Finally he returned to Uruguay to see what was holding it up and they admitted the policy had changed and they were not giving it to anyone who had left the country. However, he could have still gotten it with patience, I think, but after all that he gave up on it. So you might want to talk to them at the consulate about the fact you plan to be in Uruguay only part of the year. The fact that your mother was a citizen might make a positive difference there. But I would ask the experts. If you think about it, let us know how it goes. We’d be interested.

I have duo citizenship, I born in Brazil but live most of my life in U.S.A, which I got the citizenship my total retirement monthly income is US$ 1.750.00, and they increase every year due to cost of living. I would like to reside in Uruguay, would that be possible??

Yes, Henry, I don’t see any problem. You already have MERCOSUR citizenship so I think it would be easy if you decide to make the change as long as you qualify on other things (no police record, proper documentation, etc.) You should do fine.

Me and my wife are planning to migrate to Uruguay. We have a combined household income of USD 12,000/- but where we are currently residing. The amount of monthly income mentioned, is it required to be earned in Uruguay after arrival or current residence earning is enough.

Hi you didn’t say where your monthly income is from but if you have a dependable income from outside Uruguay, that is perfect. It can be retirement, rental income from real estate you own, etc. If that doesn’t answer your question, get back with us, okay?

I live in Korea and am married with two children in elementary school.
I have been earning the monthly rental income of $2000 for about three years now on top of my regular salary as a golf teaching pro and have sufficient asset to start a business in Uruguay.
My question is:
1. What would be the threshold income size for the family of four?
2. Would I be able to get my kid enrolled in the public school once filling the application for residency is completed?
If not, how much the private institution would cost?
Thanks in advance.

Do you mean that you own rental property from which you have a $2,000 a month income? If so, with those financial qualifications you should have no problem in any of these countries here based on finance. And yes you could enroll your children in elementary school.

I have steady monthly income of $2000 from a couple of rental properties. Initially my concern was that the amount might be a little short when the basic figure of $650 is multiplied by the number of family members.

I would process the immigration paperwork through the lawyer’s office. Would you be able to recommend a lawyer with reasonable fee?

There are two attorneys in Montevideo of which we have personal knowledge and think you could use either one. One of them wrote the article on immigration into Uruguay. In fact, since things do change in all these countries, and since you plan to use an attorney, I suggest you ask the attorney your questions since they really are the experts and would be up to date on the latest information. However, I am sure you would be okay. But Mark Teuten is the attorney who submitted the immigration article and his contact information is on the article The Fischer & Schickendantz law firm has a good reputation and you can email them at jfischer@fs.com.uy. Web site is http://www.fs.com.uy. Phone 598 2 915 7468. If you think about it, we are always interested in knowing how things go for you. We would keep anything confidential if necessary but it helps us in recommending for others.

How will the migraciones know the countries someone had lived in before. Would non disclosure jeopardize an acquired citizenship if the fact that one had lived in countries other than his own before came to light, is there any possibility for them to find out about it?

Hi Boris, The law here is that if you misrepresent anything in the process of getting your citizenship the citizenship can be canceled at any time that it does come to light. They do require an investigation on you and whether they would find out about it, I don’t know.

hi Mr. Teuten
i wanna be a Uruguay citizen. I live in Turkey. i really fall in love Uruguay at google. i have been working in a Turkish bank and also i earn approximately 1200 dolar i really want to move there. when i collect all papers where will i bring them ? is this online or not in turkey ?? i am also engaged but my fiancé don’t work anywhere he is studying aviation school. can we move together there ? is it possible or not ?
thats ok just now 🙂
thx

Hello,
I am a freelancer translator in Turkey and my income is about 1300-1400 $US in a month and also my wife is retired and gets 1000 $US in a month. I want to move to Uruguay with my wife and 16 years old daughter. Are above conditions enough to get Uruguay resident visa? And is it possible if I want to start my own small business like growing vegetables?

I am sure that your income is sufficient to qualify in Uruguay. Since you are freelance, would you be able to keep your clients if you were residing in Uruguay. If you can satisfy Immigration of that, I am sure you would be fine. And with your wife having retirement, it seems that you are in a good position. And yes, there is nothing to stop you from starting a business growing vegetables. In fact, at one point not too many years ago Uruguay was giving special tax consideration for anyone operating a plant nursery. I don’t know if that still applies. You might want to read the articles about Uruguay. There is some information about agriculture there.

Dear Sir,
Would you please provide me,as an early Iranian retiree-aged 53-married with two children of 26 and 17 reps.,resp.,with comprehensive terms and conditions to apply for permanent residency in Uruguay indicating applicable fees in full.
Your attention and assistance would highly be appreciated.
Best Regards
Esmaeili

Hello Esmaeili, we have written you a separate email about this referring you to two Uruguay attorneys who handle this since we are only publishers and do not handle immigration, but there are people available who can help you.

My husband and I, a mature Italian couple, would like to get residency in Uruguay as” rentistas.”
I have read that Uruguay taxes foreign dividends and interest at 12%- Our rent is already taxed (24 %) at source in Italy. I know there is no convention between Uruguay and Italy at the moment so I deduce double taxation. Can you confirm this?
I was born in Argentina but I intend to apply for my residency in Uruguay as Italian citizen. I left Argentina for good when I was nineteen and went to Italy where I have been living since then. Due to my country of birth in addition to my Italian citizenship it will make more difficult for me to gather the necessary documents to obtain residency in Uruguay. I am a little worried and I think it would be advisable to ask support to professional residency services.
Is it worth and feasible to contact by email the attorneys you recommend in the article to get a brief response about these issues?
Thanks for you attention

Hi Laura and welcome. Do you hold Argentina citizenship? It seems to me if you were born here you do have, which gives you privilege in all MERCOSUR countries. I am not sure exactly what the law is. I am a relatively new citizen of Argentina and my lawyer told me there is a waiting period of 3 or 5 years before I can live and work in any MERCOSUR country, but at the end of whatever that time is, I can. It’s a little like the E. U. Currently I am able to enter Uruguay with only my ID card. I don’t need a passport because I have status in Argentina. In your place I would consult Juan Fischer at Fischer & Schickendantz. Actually I think he has a different attorney who handles immigration. Phone is 598 2 915 7468, Mark Teuten is fine also but he has not been doing very well with answering emails and my experience is that Juan’s office does. As far as the tax is concerned, I think you’d have to consult an accountant, although they might be able to tell you in Juan’s office. I think they have an accountant there as well. Good luck. Arlean

Laura, thank you for sending us the link to these articles. We always appreciate the research contributed by readers. Why do you think that would make relocation to Uruguay less appealing? Perhaps because many consider Peruvians and Bolivians undesirable? Probably there would be some people who would consider it less desirable, in all honesty. But there is a lot of prejudice among the MERCOSUR countries already. For example, Chileans do not like Peruvians, citizens of Chile and Argentina do not like each other (generally speaking, not necessarily individually) and that is on both sides. And so on. I guess wherever you have people you have these problems. This would not discourage me from Uruguay, however. I can’t see how it would make a big difference but there are no crystal balls here. ;D A lot probably depends on how Uruguay manages the national economy.

Hello, I was wanting to know what is the requirements for a family of four who intends to buy land, start a eco-friendly bed and breakfast and live off-grid? By importing the solar panels, small wind turbines and rolls of earthbag needed to build everything in our household goods container, grow and raise our own food and the food needed for the BnB. As this will greatly reduce the amount of money required to live month to month because the land will be payed for. Will our 750 USD a month income from the states and the 3 month yearly income from tourists season be sufficient?

Hi Justin, what a wonderful idea. That even appeals to me! Also I would not be surprised if potential expats would be interested in staying withyou in the off season just to get the feel of the place and to be with people who could help them understand the culture and the area. So many possibilities. But about the income for four in Uruguay and all that I don’t know. I think you need to consult with one of the immigration specialists, which we are not. You can contact Juan Fischer, attorney, (598 2) 915 7468 http://www.fs.com.uy or Mark Teuten, whose contact information is listed in that article (but does not seem to be responding to emails right now). Uruguay is getting tougher, which often happens when so many people are coming in to a country. You might also try posting at http://www.totaluruguay.com. Someone there might have up to date information. And good luck.

Arlean,
My wife, son and myself have decided to move to Uruguary. We are in the process of preparing our assets for relocation. I see your from Montana, we own land in Montana ( Philipsburg) and would love to chat with you on the details of the transition. I am a real estate investor and am interested in opening an real estate investment firm in Uruguary. We also have another couple who will be making the move with us. We have a sense urgency to accomplish this and want to know if there’s is a streamline residency option for an investment company. Our personal goal is to purchase farmland immediately and then work in a major market hub offering real estate and business opportunities. We welcome an alliance with local businesses and laborers. Look forward to your reply. Boyd, Betsy and little Nikolas.

Well welcome to Uruguay a little ahead of time. Of course we can talk if you want. You can write me at info@fourflagsjournal.com if you like. We are not immigration specialists here, just reporters, although we make it our business to be able to tell you who you can contact. I suggest contacting Juan Fischer. His web site is http://www.fs.com.uy and you can tell a little about what he does. He is an attorney and he works with real estate developers there, sometimes rather large developments. His phone is 598 2 915 7468. Arlean

Hi,what about to grant Mercosur citizens permanent residency in Uruguay without further formalities and with only proof of their national origin ? I have read it has been approved but I do not know the details. Where can I find information about these formalities? Do you think I could apply considering my status of Argentinean at Birth, double citisenship Italian/Argentinean and at present with residence in Italy?
Thanks a lot Laura

Hi Laura, I am not sure I understand your question completely. You were born in Argentina but want to live in Uruguay without getting residency? Are you a citizen of Argentina–do you have documentation? As I understand it, you are eligible to live in Uruguay if you are an Argentina citizen. For example. I was not born here but I have citizenship and I was told that after three years I can live and work in any MERCOSUR country. I have not verified if that is still true but I think if you are Argentine by birth and have proof of citizenship you will have no problem.

Thanks for your answer. I have read that it will be easier (shorter time and other)to get residency in Uruguay for Mercosur citizens. It is about this I would like to have more details. The uruguayan consulate in Italy does not have information about this topic.

Laura, you’re an angel. Thanks so much. Just looking at it I’m thinking of translating and posting it. Really a great resource. Thanks so much. Sorry to be late to respond. In fact apologies to all reading this. We did include in one newsletter that we have taken a vacation from publishing until late March and just decided to try to respond to comments at least. But late though we may be, it is much appreciated.

My wife and I would be interested to know what area you are looking at farm land in and how much you know about farming. We bought a farm north of Montevideo recently and would love to share info with you if you are interested.

Hi Hutch, we are absolutely interested. In fact, we would be very pleased to even publish an article if you are interested in writing one. Our readers like lots of pictures as well. Also, if you are an accomplished writer, that’s great. If not, no problem. We are happy to edit if you provide the information and your own experience. Readers of Four Flags Journal would love it I am sure. To answer your other questions, we have farmed ourselves but not serous farming and not in Uruguay. We do have one caveat though. We oppose genetically modified food. We look forward to hearing from you further. Sorry to be this late in responding. We have suspended publication until March. Just trying to answer some questions here. Thanks for contacting us.

Dear Arlean,
I need information about uruguay residency
Visa
Basicly im from Pakistan but i live and work in south korea on 4 year contrect
Actully im intrested to get residency visa in uruguay
As a pakistan can i apply residency visa in uruguay?
And u mention that i have to show my income almost 600 us doller right?
Now i can show my income more then 600 but if i will get residency in uruguay then i will stay in uruguay then i dont know how much money i can earn in uruguay then there is no problum how much income i m earning?

Hi, Rizwan. You would need to have the income from outside of Uruguay. For example, some people own rental real estate in another country that would support them in Uruguay. Others are retired and have a pension that pays them a certain amount every month. Another family that we know spent several years building a successful publishing business that supports them. If you don’t have an income from outside Uruguay, then you would need an employer in Uruguay that would enable you to come on a work visa.

I am married to a natural citizen of Uruguay. We married in Montevideo in 2004. I was there as a tourist at the time and we moved to Canada. We now have 2 children. Do our children qualify for citizenship? Can I apply for citizenship for myself from Canada?

Kevin, thanks for your comment. I have written to our attorney for Uruguay just to be sure. I don’t think you can apply for citizenship from Canada since Uruguay is getting very particular about not giving citizenship unless people are showing their intent to live in the country. But I am not sure whether your case would be an exception to that rule. In South America everyone is on vacation until February 3 so I don’t expect to hear back from the attorney until after that date but will try to add this information into the citizenship article as well as get back with you.

Hey Kevin,
I don’t think you can apply for citizenship unless you have lived in Uruguay for at least 5 years. Your children can apply for citizenship since one of their parents is a natural citizen or Uruguay.

Thanks, Mariana, for your response to Kevin. I would check with an attorney, Kevin, because to a degree Mariana may be right, with this caveat. Dr. Teuten tells us that if you come as a family, the time you must live in Uruguay is shortened to three years. So it is possible you may have to wait for three years. But in your place I would check with the professional. Having worked with our Argentina attorney for a few years now, I know that in Argentina, at least, there are often what we call “work arounds.” So it is always good to get the expert’s knowledge. I think that Dr. Teuten or Dr. Juan Fischer at Fischer & Schickendantz, phone (598 2) 915-7468, web page http://www.fs.com.uy, can give you dependable information. If not, then get back to us and we will try to find out for you. We don’t always have the legal answers, but usually we can find out if you run into a problem.

Hello, we will be moving to Uruguay in a couple of years.
I am married to an Uruguayan and we have a house in Medanos de Solymar.
For the past few years we have travelled down for the months of Jan. Feb.
We will do that again next year for Feb. March and then return in Sept. to stay.
I have been reading about making sure you stay in Uruguay for a least 6 months to have the process go a little better.
The question I have is should I start my residency process when I am down in Feb. March or wait until I get back in Sept.

Hi George, things truly have been changing in Uruguay. The bar is being raised for residency but the fact that you are married to a Uruguayan may well make a difference. I have written one of our Uruguay attorneys to find out the current status for you and will let you know when I hear. However, in our part of the world you may already know lots of people vacation right now so it may be the first of February before we hear back.

I’m sorry, I didn’t receive a reply. Your question would be easy to answer except for the fact that you are married to a Uruguayan might very well make the process a lot easier. I certainly would think it would. It makes it easier for a couple with no Uruguay connections than for a single person coming alone. I suggest you contact Juan Fischer, 598 2 915 7468, their web site is http://www.fs.com.uy. If that doesn’t work, let me know. But I think that it will.

George, here is another email. This is the person who heads the immigration department at Juan Fischer law firm. You can go to her direct. Her email is cpiaggio@fs.com.uy. Her name is Carla Piaggio. If you think about it, we’re interested in what you find out and how it goes. Best of luck.

I posted earlier but I have one more question that may or may not be important. I have all my documentation (or can get it) that I need to bring with me to Uruguay but am confused about marriage documents. I was married once very briefly about 25 years ago. I was divorced shortly afterwards and have not remarried since. I never changed my name on my drivers license or social security card, but I do know that my married name has appeared periodically under “other names used” on credit reports. Do I need to have both my marriage and divorce documents registered in Uruguay? I know some countries require it but I have not seen anything that specifically addresses that in Uruguay. Your response would be truly appreciated as it would be great not to have more documents than necessary to bring with me. Thank you so much again!

Hi again, Sheryl. In your place I would bring everything. The thing is, you never know for sure what these countries will do. I could tell you stories about that from the experience of others. So I would err on the side of doing too much rather than chance doing too little. It really doesn’t cost that much to have the extra documents. They are not required in Argentina (where I have citizenship) but Immigration decided in the midst of everything that they wanted them so my attorney had to obtain them from here. See what I mean? Also I would be sure that all authentication is dated within six months of your application in Uruguay. You will need to be sure you are not out of the country more than necessary since one thing Uruguay is looking for is commitment to the country.

Good evening. I have recently spent time in Uruguay and would like to plan my move there within the next 5 to 6 months. I am not fluent in Spanish, but am learning and plan on taking an immersion program when I get there. I intend to stay in Montevideo for about 6 months to perhaps a year but would eventually like to settle on the coast around the Atlántida area or around Maldonado. I would need to return back to the USA periodically to continue to take care of matters here (getting my home situated, bringing my pets into Montevideo, occasionally assisting my elderly father, etc.), however I would not imagine I would be gone at most a few months per year. I am fairly confident my income should suffice to meet the requirements (I know the rules have changed so we can discuss privately). I wonder if you could tell me approximately what it would cost to utilize your services to help me through the process? Thank you very much and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Hi and thanks for your comment. However, we do not provide that service, we just try to give you information and, if you need help, tell you about people who can help you and who have a good reputation. All of the information is in the article.

I very recently submitted my paperwork for residency approval. I am living in Paysandu but they have an immigration office here that is authorized to process residency requests. This is what I was required to submit. 4 photos (smaller than passport photos), an original copy of my translated birth certificate with a photo copy, 2 photo copies of the front portion of my passport, 2 photo copies of my passport that has the date of my most recent entry into Uruguay, 2 copies of my health card, an original copy of my marriage certificate with 2 photo copies (I married a woman that is an Uruguayo), 2 photo copies of her cedula; since I am married to an Uruguayo I did not have to show proof of income. I signed a few documents indicating that information supplied is accurate. Since I did my processing in a different city, I need to wait for the main office in Montevideo to verify that the information supplied is sufficient. I was then fingerprinted and given a document indicating that I am in the process of seeking approval for residency. The next step was applying for my temporary cedula (ID card) good for 2 years. For that you will need your passport and a certified copy of your translated birth certificate.

Hi Jeff, I’m almost certain you are right. If this is an issue with anyone and you need a solid yes or no, email me and we will contact Mark for you if you like but I’m fairly sure that is right. I suspect that Mark just wasn’t thinking about the nuance of the fact that someone might have a very old issue but only was communicating that this report is one of the requirements along with birth certificate, and so on.

If you are an American citizen you will be required to visit the Interpol office in Montevideo to initiate the investigative process for criminal records in the US. They will fingerprint you then give you the documents needed to be FedEx’d to the FBI.

Hello, I am inquiring how much it would be to have Dr. Mark Teuten help my family of four obtain residency in Uruguay. We are from the U.S. and looking to move to a small town or country area in the Department of Colonia. Also, if you have any information on employment opportunities as my husband is a civil engineer but willing to work in another field such as TESL/Farming, if engineering was unavailable. We have emailed Costa Fortuna Engineer Firm but have not heard back from them. Thank you for your time and help,
Victoria Holmbeck
Iowa, U.S.

Hello Ak Rao, I am not sure of your question. Were you inquiring about work here? If you need help with residency we suggest you contact Mark Teuten, the attorney recommended in the article. We would need to know more about you to advise you regarding work.
Arlean

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